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typescript-express-starter
CLI that generates TypeScript Express REST API projects with selectable tooling
- Stars
- 2.9k
- License
- MIT
- Last commit
- Oct 2026
- Last release
- Oct 2026
- Language
- TypeScript
2,847 on 21 Apr 20262,870 on 10 Nov 2026
From GitHub's daily star counts.
Checked on GitHub.
Overview
An npm CLI that scaffolds a TypeScript Express REST API from three templates: basic Express with Zod validation, Drizzle with PostgreSQL, and express-cargo decorator-based validation. You pick linter, bundler, test runner and Docker in quick or custom mode, and it installs dependencies and generates .env with random secrets. Generated projects include auth and user routes under /api/v1.
Who it is for: Node developers starting a TypeScript Express API backend
Strengths
- Mix-and-match tooling: ESLint, Biome or Oxlint; SWC or tsup; Jest or Vitest
- Generates .env with random SECRET_KEY and JWT_SECRET of at least 32 characters
- Works with npm, pnpm or yarn; run via npx without global install
- Generation tests cover 36 template and tool combinations
Weaknesses
- Only PostgreSQL via Drizzle is selectable; Prisma and Mongoose are excluded from the npm package
- Default and express-cargo templates store users in memory and reset on restart
- No AI or model integration; it is a generic API scaffold
- Swagger, CI workflows, husky and pm2 options are still unfinished
What it needs
- TypeScript
- Needs Node.js 22.12.0+, npm 9.11.0+, PostgreSQL (Drizzle template only), Docker with Compose (optional)
Quick answers
Is typescript-express-starter open source?
Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.
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